Tailie Amity and the School of Wonders
by JayJayGinge
Summary: Tailie Amity was just an averge muggle untill her sister recieved a letter which ripped her family in two. A year later Tailie recieves the same letter but for herself. She is sent to live with her mum and enters a whole new world which she was never involved in before. But can she prove that her Hogwarts house isn't what everyone thinks it is?
1. Chapter 1

Tailie Amity

And The

School of Wonders

Jamie Shakeshaft

17/02/12

1. Tailie's Post

Tailie Amity shot upright in her bed. She felt groggy and disorientated so she almost fell back down. Her eyes darted around the room-making sure she was in the right place. She saw the mess of her small room and relaxed. Her bright yellow walls were bare and her deep blue carpet was littered with an array of thick books, oddly coloured socks and soft teddies. Her desk was crammed into a corner beside her door with her laptop and a small collection of ornaments. Her wardrobe faced the desk on the opposite side of the room next to her bed. One half of her double bed was filled with teddies and plates-the food long gone. The other half of the bed was where Tailie slept. She never ventured out to the side of the bed filled with teddies in her sleep. Her quilt was tangled around her legs and her pillows had almost fallen off her bed as she tossed and turned throughout the night. Tailie hardly ever slept peacefully anymore. Not since her mum and dad broke up. Most children were obviously affected badly by a break-up between their parents but Tailie's situation had been quite different, so she was inclined to be considerably more upset than children usually were. Today was August 27th and this meant that a year and 3 days ago exactly, Tailie's older sister Maia had received a letter that changed everything. It was an acceptance letter to a school but that was all that Tailie had been told. From the moment that her parents had read the letter, they began to argue. Usually they wouldn't have cared about Maia and Tailie being in the room as they argue because it was never serious, but this time they had locked the girls in their bedrooms. They had argued for hours and it ended with Tailie's parents getting a divorce and her mum had moved out within a day. Maia was taken to live with her mum. Tailie remained with her dad-and recently his girlfriend Britannia. Maia lived at her school during the school year so the only time she was allowed to visit was for one day after Christmas and for two weeks in the summer holidays. However, Tailie was never allowed to visit her mum's house, she could only go on days out with her and Maia. Her dad liked keeping close control of Tailie. Tailie had turned eleven on August 10th and Maia was a year older-twelve. This year Tailie was starting high school and Maia was beginning her second year in school. Maia was quite similar to Tailie. Maia was quite tall for twelve years old and had wavy, brown, shoulder-length hair. Her eyes were a nice blue colour like their mum's. Tailie also had her mum's blue eyes but they were slightly lighter. She ran a hand backwards through her wild clump of hair and crawled out of bed to walk to her wardrobe. She glanced in the mirror on the wardrobe door. Her hair was extremely curly so it was a Botticelli style of curls and went down past her shoulders. It was a sort of caramel colour like her father's. She liked it that way and often kept it leaping out wildly like a lion's mane. She groaned as she realised how impossible her hair would be to brush later on. She trudged out of her bedroom and down the stairs. It was 9:30 in the morning so her dad would be getting ready to leave for work. She entered the cosy living room where Britannia had the television on while she admired the front garden belonging to the neighbours across the road. Tailie hoped to sneak past and avoid conversation with her as she stared out the grand window. The white laced curtains were neatly tied back so that Britannia could glare at the neighbours and complain about how much she wanted whatever they had. The pale blue walls had pictures of Tailie, Britannia and occasionally Maia scattered around the room. The carpet was a perfect stainless white as Britannia hated mess. Next to the television was an old-fashioned, grand fireplace which was never used as anything but decoration as it would create dust if used. On top were ornaments of poodles-which Britannia adored. Tailie rather disliked them, they seemed far too vain.

"Phil can't we have white rose bushes like the Neelie family? They're so much prettier than whatever it is we have." She almost hissed in an irritated manner. She twirled a piece of her jet-black hair around her thin, witch-like finger.

"We have red rose bushes Britannia, you said you liked them." Phil, Tailie's dad, replied in a tired voice from the kitchen.

"Yes but they don't look nice _anymore_." She hissed again, still eyeing up the neighbours front garden. Phil sighed from the kitchen. Tailie spun on her heel.

"They were a birthday present from my dad Britannia, _you _asked for them." Tailie spat. Britannia twisted around to face Tailie and her cold grey eyes locked on to her face. She squinted her eyes and then puffed out her chest in disgust. Britannia _hated_ Tailie and the feeling was mutual. Britannia was only ever tolerant of Tailie around Phil but every other time she was a complete cow. Tailie continued on into the kitchen to find her dad making pancakes.

"Good morning princess, what do you want on your pancakes?" Phil beamed at her. Her dad adored her. He stuck out his arm and Tailie spun into it for a tight hug.

"Just sugar please dad." Tailie sat down at the table and glanced out of the window into their well-kept garden. Tailie was looking at the large oak tree which loomed at the bottom of the garden, when she saw something unusual. An owl was perched proudly on the lowest branch of the tree, staring at Tailie with wide orange eyes. It was strange as it was day time and owls were normally asleep by now, also they didn't tend to live in this area. Tailie got up out of her seat and wondered over to the garden door. It was a glass sliding door so Tailie unlocked it, pulled up the small black lever and slowly pushed open the door. The owl didn't take flight as Tailie had expected it to so she moved closer. It still didn't fly away. It simply stared at her and titled its head. Its feathers were black but it had a white chest and a white patch on its head in-between the eyes. It stretched out its wings and Tailie noticed that the tips of its wings were also spattered with white dots. Tailie gave it a small smile and it hooted back at her. She giggled a little before running back inside to tell her dad.

"Dad there's an owl outside in our tree. Oh it looks so pretty dad. Dad come out here to see." Tailie excitedly announced whilst hoping from foot to foot. But her dad had frozen. He turned slowly around to look at her, his mouth slightly twitching at the corners.

"Is there now?" He smiled but there was fear in his shiny green eyes. Tailie nodded.

"Well it might be dangerous." He walked swiftly over to the door. He took a step outside and waved his arms at the beautiful creature.

"Go on! Get out of my garden you stupid brute!" He exclaimed, trying to keep his voice playful even though it broke at the end. But the owl simply ruffled his feathers in annoyance and what seemed like pride. Tailie giggled again. Her dad ran at the tree flailing his arms above his head and shouting now. The owl screeched and dove towards his head. Just as Phil ducked, the owl swooped upwards and flew off above the houses.

"Dad I don't think it was dangerous, it's only an owl." Tailie muttered with a hint of disappointment. Her dad turned and strode back into the house. Tailie sighed and searched the sky for the owl. But it had flown a good distance away so she followed her dad back through the door. When she was sat down at the table once more, her dad placed her plate of pancakes in front of her. He sprinkled them with sugar and called Britannia into the room. He sat down next to Tailie to eat his own breakfast as Britannia entered the room. Her head was held high as she evilly glared at Tailie. She sat down as far away from Tailie as she could get. Tailie and her dad enjoyed a hearty conversation during breakfast but Britannia completely ignored them both.

"Well I've got to head off to work so Tee I'll leave you with Britt, see you both later." Phil used his nickname for Tailie as he stood up and kissed the top of her head. He then kissed Britannia goodbye before heading out the door. As soon as the familiar noise of the front door closing rang through the house, Britannia nastily smiled at Tailie.

"Hurry up, finish your breakfast and get out of my hair." Britannia purred as she flicked her wrist towards Tailie as if to swipe her away. Tailie sighed as she crammed the last bit of her pancake in her mouth before Britannia took it off her. Tailie got up and left the kitchen to get dressed. When she entered her room, she shut the door and went over to her wardrobe. On the days that her dad went to work, Tailie had to accept that Britannia was in control and either hide in her room or roam the streets until he came home. She had tried to tell her dad about Britannia's overly strict attitude but she had always been there distracting him or threatening to put a stop to Maia's visits. Britannia felt an equal dose of hatred toward Maia but was never as menacing to her. Tailie wanted to go outdoors and explore the already familiar streets of Littlemore. Littlemore-the town in which Tailie lived-was situated just outside of Oxford. It was about ten minutes drive into the huge city. Their house was number 12 Hopely Terrace. Tailie opened the thin doors of her wardrobe and skimmed through all of her clean clothes with her fingers. She picked out a pair of skinny dark blue jeans and a dark red hoodie-which Tailie liked to wear as a top on its own due to its slightly tight fitting and thinness. It didn't keep her warm so she placed her denim jacket on her bed ready to wear. She reluctantly grabbed a comb off her bedside table and desperately tried to comb the knots out of her springy hair. After at least ten minutes of brushing, her hair-still uncontrollably curly-was free of knots. She laced up her red converse and slipped her arms through the sleeves of her denim jacket. She flicked the hood from her red hoodie out-so that it hung over the denim jacket-and marched out of her bedroom. Britannia was drinking tea and reading one of her magazines so she didn't notice Tailie slipping out of the front door and silently closing it behind her. Tailie didn't really have any friends from school or from anywhere. She hadn't made very good first impressions when she started school and as she had stayed with the same people for years, they didn't accept her nicely even after her confidence levels rose. They also didn't like it when she spent her time reading. Tailie wasn't extremely bright but she enjoyed sinking into a book. Tailie shuffled stiffly along the road. The icy wind bit at her nose and her hair flew back uncontrollably. Slowly, she wondered down the road and into the next street. There she found the same owl that had been in her garden this morning. It was once again perched on a tree branch staring intently at her with its bright orange eyes. Tailie whipped around to check that there was no one was watching, before whistling to the owl. It hooted merrily in response. Hesitantly, Tailie edged forwards. The owl dropped down onto a lower branch-within Tailie's reach-and leant its head forwards. Tailie cautiously extended a hand to stroke the top of its head. The magnificent feathers felt like silk and the owl let out a small noise similar to a cat purring.

"Hey why are you hanging around here in the daytime?" Tailie asked while tilting her head on the side. Then she heard distant chortles. She turned her head to the left to glance up the road. There she saw a group of children from her old school all doubled over laughing and pointing at her. There was a mixture of girls and boys in the small group.

"Look at tatty Tailie talking to an owl." She heard them giggle as they referred to her locks of messy hair. A few of them ran around in circles pretending to have wings and squawking. They thought she was crazy but they were clearly the insane ones for pretending to be owls at their age. Tailie could feel the blood rush to her face as she blushed and her face went a deep scarlet colour.

"Aww look she's blushing! Are you getting embarrassed Tail?" The biggest girl snorted. At that moment the owl squawked back at them and flapped its wings. The girls all stopped and took a step back but the boys just laughed harder than before. The owl turned its big eyes to Tailie and they seemed to be filled with sadness. Tailie ran her fingers down its back once more before turning on her heel and running back up the road towards her house; she bit her lip to fight back the tears while the children continued to taunt her.

Tailie was in the same place that she had been when she had bolted back into her room, lying across her bed reading a book. She had been there for five hours already. Britannia hadn't been up to check on her yet and Tailie didn't expect her to. After all, she hadn't noticed Tailie when she had run in crying and accidently slammed the front door. She had been waiting for her dad to come home but she wasn't too keen to tell him what had happened anyway. He wasn't good with emotions and talking, he usually just hugged her while she sobbed it out. Tears were still rolling slowly down her face and creating wet drop marks on her book pages. There had been a point where she had managed to stop the floods of tears but then she thought about how she would be starting high school with those people soon and how she had no one to talk to that would give her real advice. Also she thought about how much she hated not having her sister around so after all that she just sat and muddled over all of the things in her life that had gone wrong. Then the tears had re-started. And of course she began crying again when the incident popped back into her head-she couldn't help but replay it through her mind. Her eyes were red and raw by the time she heard the front door open and close at 3pm. Her dad had arrived home from work. Suddenly she didn't feel like telling him anything that had happened. But Britannia would probably send him up so that she wouldn't have to deal with Tailie herself. And sure enough, her dad could be heard climbing the stairs not long after she had this thought. She sat watching her door and tried for a smile when her dad opened the door. But the concern on his face just made her begin crying again. Her dad's face crumpled as he sat down to pull her into a hug.

"Do you um...want to talk about it?" He asked awkwardly. Tailie shook her head and continued to weep against his dark green shirt. She didn't want her dad to discover that she had no friends. He hadn't ever known enough about girls to ask her to invite friends over throughout her school years so she had gotten away with not telling him. However, Tailie was sure he had become suspicious recently. He rested his head on top of hers as he soothingly smoothed down her curls. They sat there for half an hour, neither of them knowing what to say and not particularly wanting to say anything anyway.

"Well, I have paperwork to be getting finished and Britannia will need help with the tea soon so will you be ok?" He rubbed his thumb in a circle around her hand. She nodded and quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks. He examined her face with a worried expression for a while before getting up to leave. Tailie had a sudden thought. She jumped off her bed and knelt down to look underneath it. Under there were all sorts of teddies that had been long forgotten. She stuck her arm under and swept out a large group, she picked through until she found what she was searching for. Then she shoved the rest of the mess under her bed again. She tenderly picked up the teddy. It was an owl. It was the same size as her head and looked remarkably like the owl she met today. It had been given to her by her mum and Maia for Christmas last year. Tailie sat cross-legged on the floor twisting it around in her hands. Every detail was the same on the teddy as it was on the owl. Tailie clambered back onto her bed and clutched it tightly to her chest with one arm as she picked up her book with the other. She read for another two hours, only stopping when her dad called her down for tea.

Tailie woke up the next day to find that her eyes were back to normal. She sighed heavily. She felt stupid for reacting like that last night; her dad must have been terrified trying to figure out what was wrong with her. Her head was throbbing. Clutching the side of her head, she hauled herself out of bed. It was 10am; her dad must've let her oversleep to recover from the emotional trauma of yesterday. She didn't want to leave the house today so she was in no rush at all when it concerned leaving her room for breakfast. But then she heard raised voices-with a hint of aggression-coming from downstairs. Her dad should have left for work by now but he was blatantly arguing with Britannia downstairs. Cautiously, she slid out of her door and tip-toed along the hallway. When she was at the top of the stairs, she attempted to catch part of the argument but failed as her dad was speaking too huskily for her to understand from this distance. So she slunk down the staircase and into the empty living room. Slowly, she tilted her head to peek around the archway which led into the kitchen.

"Well just don't give her the letter!" Britannia hissed. "What will they do about it?"

"I tried telling that to Sonyia but she said that they're extremely persistent and these aren't exactly the type of people that you want to push Britannia." Phil's eyes darted around the room as he used Tailie's mum's name. He hated mentioning her in his house and tried his best to avoid using her name. Also Britannia hated hearing anything of her. She hadn't gotten on well with her when they had met for the first time when she had dropped Maia off, and she still hadn't got over it.

"Well they can't hurt or force us, we have rights and these _people_ need to respect _our _laws and way of life." She spat. Tailie's dad was now pacing around the cramped kitchen, massaging his temples-using his rather chubby fingers-with one hand while clutching a letter in the other. He stopped and slowly lifted the letter so it was level with his eye.

"I don't want to lose my baby girl like I lost Maia." He dropped the arm which was holding the letter and stared out the window into the bright, cheerful garden with a glazed look in his eyes. Britannia almost growled. Then she took a deep breath.

"When will you stop thinking about your own feelings and think about Tailie?" Britannia said plainly. Tailie's eyes widened. Even Phil gawped at her in shock. He didn't know anything about Britannia hating Tailie and making her life a misery but he did know that the pair didn't get on well at least. Then there were several agonisingly long minutes of silence. Tailie was desperate to discover the cause of this argument. She took a brave step into the kitchen and cleared her throat. Britannia and Phil whipped around to face her. Britannia scowled at her and Tailie's confidence dropped.

"What...what's going on? Is that f...for me?" Tailie tried to muster up any trace of authority that she could but her voice faltered and she had to fight to continue looking at her dad. She had never eavesdropped on her dad before. Her dad shoved the letter under a stack of papers behind him on the kitchen counter.

"No nothing for you." He hurried. He placed a bowl of cereal on the table, added milk and then nodded towards it. Tailie stared at him as she sat down. Tailie picked up her spoon and fiddled with it before questioning her dad again.

"But I heard you mention me, why did you mention me if it's got nothing to do with me?" Tailie avoided looking either of them in the eye. She saw Britannia scowl from the corner of her eye.

"Why don't you stop being nosey." She spat. Phil glared at Britannia but when Tailie looked up at him; his eyes guiltily darted back down again. Tailie was going to have to use some force.

"Dad I want to know what it is. Or should I call mum and tell her that you're keeping things from me. I know that she wants a reason to take me away from you." Tailie felt awful for using this against her dad but she desperately wanted to know what it was about. Phil's cheeks flushed a red colour, but not with embarrassment. It was pure anger. Britannia stopped playing with her nails to look up at Tailie.

"I think you should finish your breakfast and go straight to your room missy. And stay there today." Phil clenched his fists.

Tailie began to eat without pressing the matter. She had angered her dad enough. Perhaps she could sneak down later on to take a quick look at the secret letter. As soon as she had finished, Tailie left the kitchen to get dressed. She got dressed and waited in her bedroom for a while. When her dad wasn't in work, he always went out to garden. She just had to be prepared for when he did and hope that Britannia didn't notice her. She heard the garden door being slid open and she ran to her window. Her room was at the back of the house so she had a perfect view of the garden. It was exactly what Tailie had hoped for. Her dad was heading to the bottom of the garden wearing his gardening gloves and carrying spades. Tailie sprinted to her door, threw it open and halted at the top of the stairs. Then she heard tissue being ripped from across the hallway. Britannia was in the bathroom. Tailie panicked and threw herself down the first few stairs. Then she remembered her bedroom door. Britannia would look straight through and see that she wasn't there. Swiftly, Tailie jumped up the stairs and grabbed the door handle. She delicately but hastily closed it over, being careful not to make a single sound. Then as soon as it was shut enough, she turned and bolted down the stairs. She poked her head around the archway into the living room. Her dad was still outside. Tailie was about to step into the room when she heard the bathroom door open above her head and it startled her. She ran into the kitchen-almost skidding on the slippery tiles. She caught the kitchen counter and hauled herself back up properly. With a quick glance out of the kitchen window, she checked on her dad. He was crouched over the rose bushes, snipping at their leaves and watering the small flowers surrounding them. Tailie heard Britannia descending the stairs. She ducked onto the floor and crawled out of view from the archway separating the two rooms. From the safety of her new hiding place, Tailie's hand snaked up to search along the counter with her fingers. She easily found the pile and latched her slim fingers around it. Cautiously, she pulled the pile towards the edge of the counter and used her other hand to pick it up. Then she scouted through it and found the letter which her dad had been trying to keep from her. She placed the pile back and pushed it away from the edge towards the wall. Then Tailie saw her dad fiddling with the lock on the garden door, it was jammed and he was attempting to get in. In a state of shock and panic, Tailie froze. The she regained conscious thought and realised that she would be caught so her eyes darted around the room searching for a hiding spot. She realised a simple solution almost too late. She pounced forward and clambered under the table. There was no type of cloth hanging down but perhaps her dad wouldn't be interested in what's under the table so he wouldn't look. He trudged over to the sink mumbling under his breath about a broken hosepipe. He was inches away from the table and Tailie had to place a hand over her mouth to stop her breathing from coming out so loudly. She was technically stealing from her dad. And he was already angry with her. Phil filled up his watering-can and trudged away outside again, shutting the door behind him. Tailie removed her hand and relaxed against the table leg with a deep sigh. Worried that he might come back, Tailie left the safety of the table and tip-toed to the archway. As she peeked in the living room, she spotted Britannia watching a shopping channel on the television. The couch wasn't too far from the doorway to the stairs but it was enough to get past Britannia. She slid up against the wall and twisted around the arch to lean against the living room wall. She snaked along it, all the while not taking her eyes off Britannia. A single bead of sweat dropped down from her forehead and along her nose. It got to the tip and rolled off. Tailie quickly glanced at the distance to the doorway. It wasn't far now, she could easily leap from here and make it-or could she. Britannia lifted her head off the back of the couch-a sign that she was getting bored and would soon get up. It was now or never. Tailie skilfully leapt the distance and landing on her hands and knees at the foot of the stairs. She had made a slight bang as she landed so she wasted no time in climbing the stairs.

"What was that bang!" Britannia shrieked as Tailie had reached the very top step. Tailie's face fell, Britannia was coming to investigate.

"If you've left your room after your dad told you not to you little brat..."

Tailie glanced around before launching onto her feet, pushing open her door and throwing the letter into her bedroom. It glided like a Frisbee and landed neatly on her desk. She then hopped over to the left and called back to Britannia.

"I just fell while on my way to the bathroom!"

Britannia was now at the foot of the stairs glaring up at Tailie. She glowered at her before returning to the living room. She looked back into her room at the letter and rolled her eyes. Tailie then had to pretend to use the bathroom before she could actually read it. So much fuss over a bloody letter.


	2. Chapter 2

2. What It Said

Tailie turned the letter over carefully in her hands. What had her dad been so afraid of? This was just an ordinary letter, wasn't it? The smooth white envelope had a crest made out of red ink, stamped on the middle to seal the letter closed. Tailie ran her fingers gently across it. Over the top of the crest was a banner which read _'Hogwarts'_ and inside the crest shape itself there was a bold 'H' directly in the middle. Then it was split into four sections. In the top left corner it had a lion stood proudly on its hind legs. In the top right corner it a snake coiled in it. In the bottom right was an eagle stretching out its wings. And the bottom left was a badger looking over its shoulder. Underneath the crest was another banner with four words written across it. They were _'Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus'_. Tailie held the letter as if it were as delicate as a rain drop. One wrong move and it would disappear. The word 'Hogwarts' stood out in her mind. She had heard it somewhere before...but where? The seal was so beautifully stamped that Tailie almost didn't want to crack it open. But she only had a few minutes. Reluctantly, she slipped her fingers under the envelope fold and tugged it open so that the seal split and the top of the letter popped out. There were two pieces of paper inside, Tailie picked up the first and began to read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL  
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore  
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,  
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Miss Amity,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.  
Term begins on September 3rd.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall  
Deputy Headmistress

Tailie froze. Hogwarts school of _witchcraft _and _wizardry_? Was this some kind of joke? There was no such school. There couldn't be. However, her dad's reaction made her wonder. He knew just by looking at the envelope what it was, Tailie could tell from the look in his eyes. And he had been so scared. Even Britannia had been concerned for Tailie-which never happened. No, they must've known that she was listening so they decided to play a mean joke on her. There could be no other explanation. Tailie forced a giggle out of herself. But Tailie still wasn't ultimately sure. She decided that it was best to consult them both. Yes she had snuck out of her room. Yes she had stolen the letter. But her dad had just set this up, so he would be expecting this. Therefore, she wouldn't be punished. Tailie nodded to herself and was about to leave her room when she remembered the other piece of paper. Quickly she turned and pulled it out to read it.

UNIFORM  
First-year students will require:  
sets of plain work robes (black)  
plain pointed hat (black) for day wear  
pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)  
winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)  
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.

COURSE BOOKS  
All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)  
by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi  
by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them  
by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection  
by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand  
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)  
1 set glass or crystal phials  
1 telescope  
1 set brass scales

Students may also bring and owl OR a cat OR a toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

Her dad had gone through a lot of trouble for this. Something was wrong. Tailie tucked both letters back into the envelope and carried it downstairs. She casually strode into the living-room, where her dad was sitting. He looked up at her.

"I didn't tell you to come down." He grumbled. He was clearly still 'mad' at her.

"Oh dad you really are _so_ funny." Tailie said sarcastically. Phil looked up at her, confusion evident on his face. Then his eyes dropped to the letter in her hands and his face went bright red. Tailie sat down on the armchair next to the window.

"What are you doing with _that_?!" He thundered, jabbing a finger at the letter. Britannia poked her head around the archway to the kitchen and took a casual sip from her mug.

"I...I wanted to know what it was dad, y...you hid it from me and..." Tailie struggled to think of an excuse, he clearly had not been expecting her to steal it. She realised that now. So she spat out the first thing that sprang to mind.

"And I thought that maybe it was a letter from mum that you were keeping from me...I heard you saying that you didn't want to lose me so I just assumed..." Tailie even lowered her head to make her lie more believable. She looked shameful like this. Her dad's eyes softened but his muscles did not relax.

"But it's ok because it's all just a joke anyway." She hurriedly added. Phil opened his mouth to say something but closed it again, he tried once more and ended up looking like a fish so he stopped and turned away. Britannia sucked in a sharp breath through her teeth, she wanted to be noticed. Tailie didn't give her the satisfaction. Neither did Phil. Her dad was not denying the truth of the letter, instead he was ignoring her. Then Tailie had a thought. What if her dad didn't actually have anything to do with this? Could the school actually exist? It was an insane thought but her dad wasn't exactly clarifying anything.

"Dad is it true about the school...does it...teach magic? Isn't that a bit...insane?" Tailie risked a glance at her dad. His face was twisted with pain and he refused to look at her. But he gave her a slow nod in response. Tailie didn't understand. How was that even possible? Then another thought fitted in with the others like a jigsaw piece.

"Is that where Maia went? She went to Hogwarts."

"Yes." He whispered. Tailie smiled a little but then frowned.

"So why did you send mum away?"

"She was able to do magic and she didn't even tell me, it was too much to take in so when you're sister got her letter, I discovered that your mother had been lying to me for fifteen years." His voice cracked in certain places and his gaze was fixed on the floor.

"You couldn't cope." Tailie nodded knowingly. Then she left the room, with the letter clutched tightly to her chest. Tailie had only one thought in her mind. What would her dad do with her now? He hadn't been able to cope when his wife was there to help him. Yes she had been the root of the problem but she could have easily helped him. How was Tailie supposed to help him accept her for what she was now? But even worse than that was: how was Tailie going to accept herself as what she was now?

It had been two days since Tailie had received the letter. It was now September 1st; Tailie only had two more days to send an owl to Hogwarts to tell them that she would be attending. But the problem was that she didn't know how to. She hadn't actually even spoken about it with her dad so she wasn't entirely sure if she was in fact going. She just assumed so for the time being. She had to figure out something quickly. She was lying in bed, not bothering to get dressed or have breakfast. Her dad had left for work already and there was no point in going down to sit with Britannia. So she stayed there alone. Then there was a knock at the door. Tailie became curious. The only people that ever visited the house were Britannia's book club members. Britannia had joined a book club a few years ago, but not with intention of actually reading. None of the women had. They simply gossiped for two hours and drank tea with cakes or biscuits. Tailie was curious because Britannia only hosted the book club on a Wednesday and today was Friday. The only other day that the book club met was on a Sunday and that was at another member's house. Tailie shuffled to the edge of her bed and swung her legs over the side. Then she hesitantly sat up. Tailie heard Britannia trotting down the hallway-not wanting to miss a surprise visitor. The door was opened and instantly shut again. But it had been slammed shut. Tailie stretched her neck in an attempt to peer down the stairs from her bed. But it was too difficult. She began to stand when the door was blown backwards and collided with the wall. Britannia started shrieking.

"YOU GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! FILTH! I'LL CALL THE POLICE!"

"Try it and see where it gets you." A calm voice muttered. Tailie new that voice. She jumped up and ran to the top of the stairs. Staring down in disbelief, she saw her mum and her sister stood in the doorway. Sonyia's short, brown hair was tucked behind her ears and she wore a smile that lit her whole face. Her warm blue eyes sparkled as she looked up at Tailie. Next to her mum, Maia beamed up at Tailie. Her wavy brown hair had grown longer and she stood with an air of confidence. She had always been a rather anxious person. Maia barged past Britannia without glancing back to say sorry and clambered up the stairs. She caught Tailie in a tight hug as she began to laugh. Britannia hurried around Sonyia and closed the door-she didn't want to neighbours to start asking questions.

"Come on then you. Get dressed." Tailie's mum grinned. Maia released Tailie. Tailie then leapt down the stairs to hug her mum. Sonyia softly stroked Tailie's hair. Tailie realised in an instant why her mum was here.

"Are you taking me with you? Because of Hogwarts?" She questioned for reassurance. Her mum nodded and smiled again. Tailie grinned back at her but then frowned.

"What about dad?"

Sonyia's smile faded slowly.

"Yes _Sonyia._" Britannia spat "What about Phil? I think I'd better call him." She hurried off into the living-room and picked up the telephone which was sat on the coffee table. Maia gave them a panicked look before grabbing Tailie and pulling her up the stairs. Once inside Tailie's room, Maia strode over to Tailie's wardrobe and began urgently routing through it whilst Tailie sat on her bed in a daze. She didn't want to leave her dad. It would break his heart and she had always been so close to him. But she would be leaving the horrible cow that was Britannia behind. And she wouldn't have to attend school with the people that had made fun of her. Instead she would be whisked away to a land full of magic-and hopefully there would be people that she could relate to. A mixture of emotions began to well up inside her. She wanted to cry but that wouldn't solve a thing. Maia had picked out Tailie's clothes and laid them next to her on the bed. Then she looked properly at Tailie's scared expression. Slowly, she sat down and opened her arms wide. Tailie climbed into them and Maia held her tightly. Tailie often missed this.

"You can't stay here now. Well you could but it would be a total misery for you-and I know that it's like that anyway so things would only get worse. Dad hasn't treated me the same since I got that letter and he can barely stand to be alone with me anymore. He tries to hide it but I can still tell. He's going to be the same with you. You'd be at school all year anyway so it wouldn't matter where you live really. It's great with mum. She hasn't got an irritating boyfriend-it would be just us. And we have loads of space. Plus there are loads of people that you would get along with. There's a whole house full of people who enjoy reading!" She listed the pros of living with mum as if she had rehearsed them beforehand. Tailie gave her a confused face.

"House?"

"Oh that'll be explained at school. You just have to go Tee!" She begged. But Tailie still wasn't sure.

"Please just come live with us for a bit. You can start school and if you really don't like it, I'm sure mum would let you leave at the end of term." Maia pleaded desperately. Tailie nodded. A beaming smile erupted on Maia's face, and then she left the room to allow her to get dressed. Tailie changed hurriedly and flung her door open. Her mum and dad were standing face to face in the small hallway, like dogs eyeing each other up before a fight. She hadn't heard him come in and it took her by surprise. Phil's eyes travelled up the staircase and rested upon Tailie. Tailie expected him to be upset, but she saw no emotion in his eyes. He simply dropped his gaze to the floor and marched into the living-room without a word. A powerful wave of sadness washed over Tailie as she pelted down the remaining stairs and into the living-room behind her dad.

"We'll go get your things." Maia and Sonyia whispered together before leaving. Phil was perched on the edge of his armchair with his head in his hands and his elbows resting on his knees. Britannia took one glance at Tailie entering the room and stalked into the kitchen. Life definitely wouldn't improve if she stayed here. Tailie gently placed a hand on his shoulder. His whole arm went rigid so she moved it. She felt too out of place all of a sudden so she didn't sit down, instead she remained stood staring at his pained face.

"Dad can you please just look at me." Tailie begged quietly. He ignored her. She swallowed hard and she could feel a large lump in her throat. It felt like a toad had sat itself down in there. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Phil glanced up at her. He took in a deep breath.

"Tee I just can't handle any of this so it would be best if you left." He didn't even look at her for more than a second. It suddenly dawned on Tailie that this might be the end of their perfect father-daughter relationship. She began to sob. Quiet, tearful sobs. Most children scream when they cry because they want to be noticed. Not Tailie. Not now. She was crying because she couldn't prevent it. This meant that no noise came out of her so it took a while for her dad to look at her and realise that she was weeping her heart out. His face completely fell but he made no move to hug or comfort her. Sonyia and Maia appeared in the doorway with suitcases full of Tailie's belongings. Maia immediately dropped the suitcase she was holding to wrap her arms protectively around Tailie and glare at Phil.

"Come on girls we need to leave, we have a lot to get before school starts." Sonyia tried be as gentle as possible. Tailie took a deep, calming breath and picked up a suitcase. Maia followed her. Britannia-who had become interested in the quiet coming from the room-was leaning against the archway to the kitchen with what looked like a confused expression. As the trio traipsed into the hallway, Britannia walked up to Phil.

"It's going to be...quiet without her. It'll be almost...empty." She whispered. Tailie heard this but thought nothing of it; she wasn't about to patch things up now. However, it triggered something inside Phil because he sprang up from his chair and ran to the hallway. He pulled Tailie in for a tight hug and she knew that it would be the last one for a _very _long time. She unwrapped her arms from around him sooner than he did-so he nervously released her. Tailie grabbed her suitcase again and followed Sonyia and Maia out of the door. Sonyia was stood at the end of the pathway with one foot on the road. She stuck out her arm and then there was a loud noise that sounded like something between a pop and a bang. Tailie began to glance around for the cause but she didn't have to search for long. A giant, purple, multi-story bus had appeared out of nowhere-with whips of smoke starting to vanish behind it. A tall, stick-like man wearing a tattered navy blue uniform took the suitcase from Sonyia and gestured for her to come aboard. Tailie stared in disbelief as her mum hopped onto the bus. Maia strolled over and also jumped up the step. Once again the man took the suitcase. As he did, he watched Phil and Britannia carefully. Then his eyes shifted to rest on Tailie.

"You comin' then Curls or wah?" He addressed Tailie with a deep cockney accent. She didn't move.

"If you is, you bettah 'urry up or else them muggles is gonna be suspicious." He nodded at Phil and Britannia. Tailie turned to look at them. They were both stood at the door with their mouths gaping open, watching the floor in front of the bus.

"Where did they go?" Britannia whispered in a shaky voice. Phil slowly closed his mouth and tensed his jaw. Then he looked at Tailie before pulling Britannia back inside the house and slamming the door. Tailie sighed and walked up to the bus.

"Stupid them muggles aint they. Don' even know 'bout wah 'appens righ' infront o' them." He grunted as he lugged the suitcase up the step. Tailie just looked at him without knowing how to react. Maia came and pulled her gently away.

"She alrigh' is she?" The man asked indicating to his head. Maia smiled.

"She's muggle raised."

"Ahh. Well Curls you're in fer a treat then. Oh I s'pose I best tell you, this is the Knight Bus an' I'm your conductor today Danton Hitatch." He grinned showing his teeth-some of which were missing. Tailie sat down next to Maia and Sonyia sat behind them. She didn't know what to say. She also didn't understand why they didn't just take a normal bus.

"Mum what's different about this bus? Why couldn't we take the regular bus?"

"Well we have different currencies to you so we can't pay for that one. And for us, this is the regular bus. It's basically magic and will take a witch or wizard anywhere within a matter of minutes." Sonyia explained with a smile.

"It's good because the muggles can't see it, that's why dad and 'Satan's mistress' couldn't see where we went." Maia giggled. A bell was rung from the front of the bus; where the driver was. Maia spun around to face the right way and she grabbed the bar by her seat, then she took a deep breath. Tailie was panicked by the look on Maia's face so she copied her. And it was a smart move. The bus suddenly lurched forward and began to sway. There was another popping/banging noise and then they were in the middle of ac city and it was raining heavily. Tailie's head was swimming. She tried to place it between her legs but then the conductor called out:

"London!" And someone trotted off. Then the Knight Bus was off again with another alarming noise. When it stopped this time, it wasn't raining. In fact it was quite warm and the sun shone through the windows. It looked like the country but Tailie could just about see the roofs of a group of house beyond the trees in the distance; which suggested a remote town lay nearby. Danton stood up.

"Bayworth!" He shouted. Bayworth was a small country area South-West of Littlemore. It had many trees and fields surrounding it. Sonyia and Maia jumped up. Danton picked up the suitcases and placed them on the path outside. Tailie rushed to the door of the bus. Danton smiled down at her.

"Nice area round 'ere aint it? Good luck Curls." He patted her shoulder before handing her a slightly smaller suitcase. Tailie hopped off the step and landed on a dusty path. Then for the last time there was a popping bang to signal that the bus had left them. As Tailie looked across the deserted road, she saw her new home.


End file.
